THE MALAY RACE. 



125 



A boat from the Vincennes visited the large town of Samboarigan 

 in the vicinity, the Spanish convict establishment before mentioned : 

 and one of our officers was here struck with the "large proportion of 

 persons who seemed to be of Chinese lineage, and he saw some real 

 Chinese. The resident Catholic Father, who was highly intelligent, 

 communicated some late news from Europe and America." It ap- 

 peared, that the efforts for conversion were reserved for the 'pagan 

 Indians;' experience having shown the futility of all attempts with the 

 Muslims. 



I have not met with any examples of the Harafora tribes; de- 

 scribed as inhabiting the interior of Mindanao, Booro, Coram, and 

 Celebes, and as possessing the entire island of Jilolo. What is al- 

 leged of the superior stature and bodily perfection of these people, is 

 worthy of notice ; together with the existence among them of the 

 practice of tattooing, or at least of staining the skin. These particu- 

 lars, taken in connexion with what has already been stated of the in- 

 habitants of Pulo Mariere, seem to have a bearing on the question of 

 the origin of the Polynesians. 



Dalton,* after enjoying unusual opportunities for forming a correct 

 opinion, has identified the Harafora of Celebes with the Dayaks of 

 Borneo. Dr. Dickenson, of the American Mission at Singapore, had 

 visited the interior of Borneo; " in most parts of which island it is not 

 difficult to travel, though some of the coast peo})le are to be avoided. 

 The Dayaks are not, like the Chinese, lighter-complexioned than the 

 Malays: he had conversed with Dayaks; who stated among other 

 matters, that it was usual with them, to ' eat their grandfathers wdien 

 they became very old.' There are neither elephants nor tigers in 

 Borneo." 



Hunt,t in speaking of the Idan and Moruts, who appear to replace 

 the Dayaks at the northern extremity of Borneo, states, " that they are 

 fairer and better featured than Malays, stronger and more robust ; the 

 Dayer much darker and more resembling the Malays. The inhabi- 

 tants of Mount Kiney-Baulu, are nearly as fair as Europeans." 

 Dalton likewise mentions Dayak " women from the mountains, hav- 

 ing colour on the cheeks." As I have never seen the pure Malay 

 light-complexioned enough for this, I am inclined to suspect some 

 mixture of another race; and geographical considerations point, as 



* In Moore's Papers on the Indian Archipelago, 



•62 



t Ibid. 



